Senior Product Designer

📍 Job Overview

Job Title: Senior Product Designer Company: Udemy Location: Dublin, Ireland Job Type: Full-Time Category: Product Design / UX Design Date Posted: 2025-09-11 Experience Level: Senior (4+ years) Remote Status: Hybrid (3 days in-office)

🚀 Role Summary

• Crafting intuitive and inspiring user experiences for Udemy's instructor platform, directly impacting how millions share their expertise.
• Driving product strategy and design culture through close collaboration with Product Management, Engineering, Data Science, and Research teams.
• Leveraging qualitative and quantitative data to inform and validate design decisions, ensuring a user-centric approach.
• Owning the end-to-end design process, from conceptualization and ideation to iterative refinement and post-launch analysis.
• Empowering tens of thousands of instructors with powerful, seamless, and beautiful tools for course creation and student engagement.

📝 Enhancement Note: This role is positioned as a Senior Product Designer, indicating a need for a candidate who can operate with a high degree of autonomy, influence product direction, and mentor junior designers. The focus on the "Instructor Experience" highlights a specialized area within the platform, requiring a deep understanding of user needs in that domain.

📈 Primary Responsibilities

• Lead the design of features and tools that enhance the instructor experience on the Udemy platform, from initial concept through to successful implementation.
• Conduct user research, usability testing, and data analysis to uncover insights and identify opportunities for design improvement.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, including Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and Marketing, to define product requirements and deliver cohesive solutions.
• Facilitate design thinking workshops, brainstorming sessions, and co-creation activities to foster innovation and alignment among stakeholders.
• Develop wireframes, user flows, interactive prototypes, and high-fidelity visual designs that clearly communicate design concepts and user interactions.
• Advocate for the instructor and learner, ensuring their needs are met while balancing business objectives and technical constraints.
• Iterate on designs based on user feedback, performance metrics, and evolving business requirements, driving continuous improvement.
• Contribute to the evolution and maintenance of Udemy's design system, ensuring consistency and scalability across the platform.

📝 Enhancement Note: The responsibilities emphasize a blend of strategic thinking, user advocacy, and hands-on design execution. The iterative nature of the role, focusing on "tracking impact, gathering feedback, and refining the experience," is crucial for operations professionals who value continuous improvement and data-driven decision-making.

🎓 Skills & Qualifications

Education: While no specific degree is mandated, a background in Design, Human-Computer Interaction (HCI), Psychology, or a related field is typically beneficial for understanding user behavior and design principles.

Experience: Minimum of 4 years of professional experience in Product Design, UX Design, or a closely related field, with a proven track record of shipping successful digital products.

Required Skills:

• Product/UX Design: Demonstrated expertise in the end-to-end product design process, including user research, wireframing, prototyping, user testing, and visual design.
• Portfolio: A strong, comprehensive portfolio showcasing a range of work that highlights problem-solving skills, design process, and successful product outcomes. This should include examples from research to final shipped products.
• Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively with Product Managers, Engineers, Researchers, and other stakeholders, fostering strong cross-functional partnerships.
• Human-Centered Design: Deep understanding and application of human-centered design methodologies to create user-centric solutions.
• Visual Design: A refined eye for visual design, aesthetics, and attention to detail, ensuring high-quality and engaging user interfaces.
• Communication: Fluent English communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate design decisions clearly and persuasively to diverse audiences.
• Feedback & Iteration: A collaborative, low-ego approach to receiving and incorporating feedback, with a strong drive for iterative design improvements.
• Problem-Solving: Ability to bring structure and clarity to ambiguous projects and solve complex design challenges creatively.

Preferred Skills:

• Modern Design Tools: Proficiency with contemporary design and prototyping tools such as Figma, FigJam, Sketch, Adobe Creative Suite, and Notion.
• AI in Design: Experience experimenting with AI-powered prototyping, ideation tools, or leveraging AI to enhance design workflows.
• Design Systems: Experience working with and contributing to design systems, understanding the balance between consistency and creative flexibility.
• Craftsmanship: A passion for design quality, aesthetics, and bringing elegance to complex user experiences.
• Continuous Learning: A proactive approach to learning new techniques, exploring emerging design trends, and pushing creative boundaries.

📝 Enhancement Note: The "Bonus Points" section strongly suggests a preference for candidates who are forward-thinking and adaptable, particularly in their embrace of new technologies like AI within the design process. This aligns with operations roles that often seek individuals who can leverage technology to drive efficiency and innovation.

📊 Process & Systems Portfolio Requirements

Portfolio Essentials:

• End-to-End Product Design: Showcase projects that demonstrate your complete design process, from initial user research and problem definition through ideation, prototyping, user testing, and final implementation.
• Problem-Solving Showcase: Clearly articulate the problems you addressed, the constraints you worked within, and how your design solutions effectively solved those challenges.
• Impact & Outcomes: Quantify the impact of your designs where possible. This could include metrics related to user engagement, conversion rates, task completion, or instructor satisfaction.
• Visual & Interaction Design: Present high-fidelity mockups and interactive prototypes that highlight your visual design skills and ability to create seamless user interactions.
• Collaboration Context: Briefly describe your role within the team and how you collaborated with PMs, engineers, and researchers on specific projects.

Process Documentation:

• User Research & Insights: Include examples of how you gathered and synthesized user data (qualitative and quantitative) to inform your design decisions.
• Iterative Design: Show instances where designs were refined based on feedback, testing, or changing requirements, demonstrating your iterative workflow.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Examples of how you communicated design rationale, presented solutions, and integrated feedback from various stakeholders.

📝 Enhancement Note: For a Senior Product Designer role, the portfolio is critical. It serves as tangible proof of a candidate's ability to execute on the responsibilities outlined. Operations professionals often build similar portfolios showcasing process improvements and quantifiable results, making this a key area to prepare.

💵 Compensation & Benefits

Salary Range: While not explicitly provided, for a Senior Product Designer in Dublin, Ireland, with 4+ years of experience, a competitive salary range can be estimated. Based on industry benchmarks and cost of living in Dublin, a typical range would likely fall between €60,000 and €85,000 per year. This can vary based on the candidate's specific experience, skills, and the exact scope of responsibilities.

Benefits:

• Access to Udemy Courses: Full access to Udemy's extensive library of courses, supporting continuous learning and skill development.
• Monthly UDay: A dedicated day each month for personal and professional development, encouraging self-investment.
• Budget for Improvement: A budget allocated for professional development, allowing employees to pursue learning opportunities that align with their career goals.
• Comprehensive Health & Wellness: Benefits designed to provide protection and care, with specific regional offerings detailed during the hiring process.
• Retirement Savings Plans: Likely includes a pension or retirement savings scheme, common in Ireland.
• Paid Time Off: Generous vacation, sick leave, and public holiday entitlements.
• Potential for Stock Options: Depending on company policy and level, equity or stock options may be available.

Working Hours: Standard full-time hours are typically around 40 hours per week. The hybrid model allows for flexibility, with specified in-office days and remote flexibility on other days.

📝 Enhancement Note: The benefits are heavily focused on learning and personal growth, which is a significant draw for individuals in roles that require continuous skill updates. The mention of regional benefit variations is standard practice and emphasizes the need for candidates to inquire about specific details relevant to their location.

🎯 Team & Company Context

🏢 Company Culture

Industry: E-Learning / Online Education Technology (EdTech). Udemy operates as a skills acceleration platform, connecting learners with expert instructors globally. Company Size: Udemy is a large, publicly traded company. While the exact number of employees globally isn't specified here, it's in the thousands, indicating a structured corporate environment with established processes. Founded: Udemy was founded in 2010. This means it has a mature operational history and a well-defined business model.

Team Structure:

• Design Team: The design team is described as "close-knit" and collaborates closely with Product Managers, Engineers, Data Scientists, and Researchers.
• Dublin Hub: The role is specifically within the Dublin-based team, suggesting a significant operational presence and a collaborative local team environment.
• Reporting Structure: A Senior Product Designer typically reports to a Design Lead or Head of Design, working within a product-focused pod or squad structure.

Methodology:

• Data-Driven Design: Strong emphasis on using qualitative and quantitative insights to guide design decisions and measure impact.
• Human-Centered Approach: Core philosophy of designing for the user, ensuring solutions are intuitive, inspiring, and delightful.
• Collaborative Ideation: Active use of workshops and co-design sessions to foster creativity and alignment across teams.
• Iterative Development: A continuous cycle of design, feedback, validation, and refinement to ensure ongoing product improvement.

Company Website: https://www.udemy.com/

📝 Enhancement Note: The company culture emphasizes learning, AI integration, ownership, collaboration, and impact. These are key themes that operations professionals should resonate with, as they often drive efficiency through learning, leverage technology, take ownership of processes, and focus on measurable outcomes.

📈 Career & Growth Analysis

Operations Career Level: This is a Senior-level position. In a design context, this means taking ownership of significant product areas, influencing strategy, mentoring junior team members, and operating with a high degree of autonomy. For operations professionals, this senior level implies leading projects, optimizing complex workflows, and making strategic recommendations.

Reporting Structure: The Senior Product Designer will likely report to a Design Manager or Director of Design, and work within cross-functional product teams. This structure allows for direct collaboration with product and engineering leadership.

Operations Impact: The role has a direct impact on instructor success, which in turn drives learner acquisition and platform growth. By improving the tools instructors use, the designer contributes to the quality and quantity of courses available on Udemy, directly influencing revenue and market position. Operations professionals also drive impact by optimizing processes that lead to cost savings, increased efficiency, and improved customer satisfaction.

Growth Opportunities:

• Design Leadership: Potential to grow into a Lead Designer, Design Manager, or specialized UX roles (e.g., UX Researcher, Interaction Designer).
• Product Strategy Influence: Opportunity to shape the product roadmap and contribute to strategic decisions at a higher level.
• Skill Specialization: Deepen expertise in specific areas of UX, such as AI-driven design, design systems, or accessibility.
• Cross-Functional Mobility: Potential to move into Product Management or other related roles within the company due to a strong understanding of the product lifecycle.
• Mentorship: Opportunity to mentor junior designers, developing leadership and coaching skills.

📝 Enhancement Note: The growth path for a Senior Product Designer mirrors many senior operations roles, emphasizing leadership, strategic influence, and specialization. The ability to impact business outcomes directly is a common thread.

🌐 Work Environment

Office Type: Udemy has physical office locations, and this role is designated as "in-office" with a hybrid work arrangement requiring three days per week in the Dublin office. Office Location(s): The primary office location for this role is Dublin, Ireland.

Workspace Context:

• Collaborative Environment: The Dublin office is part of a global company, fostering a collaborative atmosphere with local teams and connectivity to international colleagues.
• Tools & Technology: Employees will have access to modern design tools and company-provided hardware/software necessary for their role. The mention of Figma, FigJam, and Notion suggests a modern tech stack.
• Team Interaction: The hybrid model ensures regular face-to-face interaction with design, product, and engineering colleagues, facilitating spontaneous collaboration, feedback, and team building.

Work Schedule: The standard work schedule is full-time, with the hybrid model providing flexibility in how and where work is performed, balanced with mandatory in-office presence on specific days to foster team cohesion and collaboration.

📝 Enhancement Note: The hybrid work model is a key aspect, offering a balance between focused remote work and collaborative in-office time. This structure is increasingly common and appeals to professionals seeking flexibility while maintaining strong team connections, similar to how many operations teams structure their work.

📄 Application & Portfolio Review Process

Interview Process:

• Initial Screening: A recruiter or hiring manager will review your application and resume, focusing on experience and portfolio quality.
• Portfolio Review & Discussion: You will likely present your portfolio, discussing your design process, problem-solving approach, and impact on past projects. Expect questions about your collaboration style and how you handle feedback.
• Design Challenge/Case Study: A practical exercise may be given, either take-home or conducted live, to assess your design skills, problem-solving abilities, and communication. This could involve critiquing an existing experience or designing a solution for a given scenario.
• Cross-Functional Interviews: Interviews with Product Managers, Engineers, and potentially Researchers to evaluate your collaboration skills and ability to work within a team.
• Hiring Manager/Team Lead Interview: A final discussion with the Design leadership to assess cultural fit, strategic thinking, and overall suitability for the Senior role.

Portfolio Review Tips:

• Curate Strategically: Select 3-4 of your strongest projects that best showcase your skills relevant to the instructor experience and end-to-end design process.
• Tell a Story: For each project, clearly articulate the problem, your process, your specific contributions, the challenges faced, and the measurable outcomes. Use visuals effectively.
• Highlight Collaboration: Be prepared to discuss how you worked with cross-functional partners, how you incorporated feedback, and how you navigated disagreements.
• Showcase Iteration: Demonstrate how your designs evolved based on user feedback or data, showing your ability to learn and adapt.
• Focus on Impact: Quantify results whenever possible to demonstrate the business value of your design work.

Challenge Preparation:

• Understand the Context: If given a take-home challenge, thoroughly research Udemy, its mission, and the instructor experience.
• Define the Problem: Clearly articulate your understanding of the problem presented in the challenge.
• Outline Your Process: Structure your approach logically, from research and ideation to design and validation.
• Consider Constraints: Think about technical feasibility, business goals, and user needs.
• Practice Presentation: Be ready to present your work clearly and concisely, articulating your rationale for each decision.

📝 Enhancement Note: The emphasis on portfolio presentation and case studies is highly relevant to operations roles, where demonstrating process improvement and quantifiable results is paramount. Candidates should prepare to articulate their "how" and "why" for each project.

🛠 Tools & Technology Stack

Primary Tools:

• Design & Prototyping: Figma (highly probable, given the mention of modern tools), FigJam (for collaboration and whiteboarding). Adobe Creative Suite is also a possibility.
• Project Management & Documentation: Notion (mentioned as a modern tool, often used for documentation, project tracking, and team knowledge sharing).
• Collaboration Tools: Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace (standard for modern tech companies).
• User Research Platforms: Tools for conducting user interviews, surveys, and usability testing (e.g., UserTesting.com, Maze, Lookback).

Analytics & Reporting:

• Product Analytics: Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, or Google Analytics to track user behavior, feature usage, and conversion funnels.
• Data Visualization: Potentially tools like Tableau or Looker for deeper data analysis and dashboard creation, though less common for designers to directly manage these.

CRM & Automation:

• While not directly a designer's tool, understanding CRM systems (like Salesforce) and marketing automation platforms can be beneficial for context on the broader user journey.

📝 Enhancement Note: While designers don't typically manage core operations tools, familiarity with analytics, collaboration, and project management platforms is crucial for effective cross-functional work. Understanding how user data is tracked and utilized informs better design decisions.

👥 Team Culture & Values

Operations Values:

• Learning & Growth: A strong culture of continuous learning, personal development, and skill acquisition, supported by company resources.
• AI Integration: Embracing and experimenting with AI to enhance learning and work processes, fostering innovation.
• Ownership & Impact: Empowering individuals to take ownership of their work, make decisions, and drive tangible results.
• Collaboration & Openness: Fostering a collaborative environment where ideas are shared openly, feedback is welcomed, and diverse perspectives are valued.
• User Advocacy: A commitment to understanding and championing the needs of users (instructors and learners) while balancing business objectives.
• Craftsmanship & Quality: A dedication to high standards in design execution, attention to detail, and delivering elegant solutions to complex problems.

Collaboration Style:

• Cross-Functional Integration: Seamless collaboration across design, product, engineering, and research teams is essential.
• Feedback-Driven Iteration: An open culture for giving and receiving constructive feedback to continuously improve designs and processes.
• Knowledge Sharing: Encouraging the sharing of best practices, learnings, and insights across the team and the wider organization.
• Experimentation: A willingness to experiment with new approaches, tools, and methodologies to find optimal solutions.

📝 Enhancement Note: The values described—learning, AI integration, ownership, collaboration, and user focus—align closely with the core tenets of effective operations professionals. Operations roles thrive on continuous improvement, leveraging technology, taking responsibility for outcomes, and working collaboratively to achieve business goals.

⚡ Challenges & Growth Opportunities

Challenges:

• Balancing Instructor Needs with Platform Goals: Designing solutions that are powerful and seamless for instructors while also aligning with Udemy's broader business objectives and scalability requirements.
• Navigating Ambiguity: Tackling complex, ill-defined problems and bringing clarity and structure to the design process.
• Driving Adoption of New Features: Ensuring instructors understand and effectively utilize new tools and functionalities, requiring thoughtful onboarding and support designs.
• Keeping Pace with EdTech Trends: Staying updated with the rapidly evolving landscape of online learning and AI, and integrating these advancements into the design strategy.

Learning & Development Opportunities:

• Mastering AI in Design: Opportunities to experiment with and become proficient in using AI tools for ideation, prototyping, and workflow optimization.
• Deepening Domain Expertise: Gaining in-depth knowledge of the instructor lifecycle and the specific challenges they face.
• Contributing to Design Systems: Enhancing skills in creating and maintaining scalable design systems.
• Mentorship & Leadership: Developing leadership skills through mentoring junior designers and potentially leading design initiatives.
• Industry Exposure: Learning from a diverse team of professionals and potentially attending industry conferences or workshops.

📝 Enhancement Note: Identifying challenges and growth opportunities is a key part of an operations professional's mindset. This section helps frame the role not just by its tasks, but by the developmental journey it offers, similar to how operations roles often involve navigating complex systems and improving processes.

💡 Interview Preparation

Strategy Questions:

• "Tell me about a time you used data (qualitative or quantitative) to significantly influence a design decision." (Focus on your process for gathering and interpreting data, and how it led to a specific design outcome.)
• "Describe a complex problem you solved through design. What was your process, and what was the impact?" (Structure your answer using the STAR method: Situation, Task, Action, Result. Emphasize your problem-solving methodology.)
• "How do you collaborate with Product Managers and Engineers? Describe a situation where you had a design disagreement with a stakeholder and how you resolved it." (Highlight your communication, negotiation, and teamwork skills. Show how you advocate for user needs while respecting technical constraints.)
• "Walk me through a project in your portfolio that you're particularly proud of. What was your role, and what made it successful?" (Be ready to deep-dive into your process, decisions, and the impact of your work.)

Company & Culture Questions:

• "Why Udemy? What excites you about our mission and the product?" (Research Udemy's mission, values, and recent developments. Connect your passion for learning and design to the company.)
• "How do you approach giving and receiving feedback?" (Demonstrate a willingness to iterate and improve, showing you are a collaborative and coachable team member.)
• "How do you balance user needs with business goals?" (Show that you understand the need for pragmatic solutions that serve both users and the company.)

Portfolio Presentation Strategy:

• Focus on Narrative: Each project should tell a clear story about the problem, your approach, your contributions, and the results.
• Visual Clarity: Use high-quality visuals, mockups, and prototypes. Ensure your presentation is clean and easy to follow.
• Quantify Where Possible: Use metrics to demonstrate the impact of your design decisions. If metrics aren't available, explain the qualitative impact.
• Showcase Process: Don't just show the final output; explain the steps you took, the rationale behind your decisions, and how you iterated.
• Be Prepared for Questions: Anticipate questions about your design choices, challenges, and how you collaborated.

📝 Enhancement Note: Interview preparation for design roles often mirrors operations interviews in its emphasis on problem-solving, process, collaboration, and quantifiable results. Articulating your "why" and demonstrating your impact are universally important.

📌 Application Steps

To apply for this Senior Product Designer position:

• Submit your application directly through the provided link on CareerPuck.
• Portfolio Customization: Tailor your portfolio to highlight projects that demonstrate experience with instructor tools, platform design, or complex user workflows. Emphasize your end-to-end design process and impact.
• Resume Optimization: Ensure your resume clearly lists your years of experience, key skills (UX Design, Product Design, Collaboration, etc.), and quantifiable achievements. Use keywords from the job description.
• Prepare Your Narrative: Practice articulating your design process and project outcomes concisely and compellingly. Be ready to discuss your approach to collaboration and problem-solving.
• Research Udemy: Familiarize yourself with Udemy's platform, its mission, and the specific challenges instructors face. Understand their hybrid work model and company values.

⚠️ Important Notice: This enhanced job description includes AI-generated insights and operations industry-standard assumptions. All details should be verified directly with the hiring organization before making application decisions.

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